Instant Pot Hungarian Style Beef Stew

We’re making a little pot of history in an instant pot today! This is a mashup of a pork stew we’ve had on our website for a while and a riff on a traditional Hungarian beef stew called “Marha Pörkölt.” We’re using our Peppercorn Beef Rub, Caraway Seeds, and the Hungarian part of this: Hungarian Paprika. To mix things up with our recipe explanation, let’s go backwards talking about our spices, and talk about the ingredients we’re adding last first. To start (or end) things we have Hungarian Paprika. Paprika, like most chile powders, has a pretty high variation in terms of its flavor potential depending on its geographical origin and where it was cultivated. Hungarian Paprika is sweeter than other paprikas because Hungary’s climate is less hot than China or Peru (and as our product page points out, the redder the paprika, the less sweet it is… usually). When using naturally sweet spices, there’s a chance of cooking them too long to the point that they can become bitter, which is why Jeff added it after everything was done browning. This is the same logic that was applied with our whole Caraway Seeds that have a subtle brightness and freshness, so it was added along with the paprika after everything else was done with sautéing. Why was Peppercorn Beef Rub added earlier in the cooking process? This blend has, you guessed it, a whole bunch of different types of peppercorns. Salt and Pepper have earned their reputation for a first step in cooking everything, and our zesty seasoning helped to create a great crust on the beef as it was being browned and its onion & garlic powder helped to build out a savory flavor profile that all the vegetables would adopt as they were thrown in the pot later to brown. Because everything will continue to cook once you set your pot to “Meat/Stew” (which refers to a high level of pressure), you don’t need to worry about cooking everything through all the way. You’re just getting them all a little brown before you add your stock.

Is it necessary for you to have an Instant Pot for this recipe? Nope! But it is handy because it’s being used for multiple functions. If you don’t have an instant pot or pressure cooker, you could just saute everything in a Dutch Oven and then just simmer it for a while on your stove (low and slow for like 2 to 3 hours, instead of 45 minutes the way that you can with the instant pot). Are you scared of the pressure cooker option of the instant pot? I understand. Spiders, snakes, needles… none of them inspire even the least amount of fear into me. But air compressors, nail guns, and that really gross “chestbursting” scene in Ridley Scott’s first Alien movie- shudder. Instant Pots don’t fall into that category though! They’re “smart” technology, even if they get on Chef Jeff’s nerves sometimes for being a little dumb. But they’re not going to blow up on your kitchen counter. We promise. When your stew is ready, Jeff did the “quick release” rather than “natural release” because it takes less time and means your vegetables won’t be too mushy.

Our Hungarian Beef Stew was served on a bed of Spaetzle, but you could use any soup noodle or dumpling. Jó étvágyat!